Caring for God’s creation
St Francis of Assisi was renowned for his deep connection with animals. He preached to birds and,according to legend, famously tamed a wolf. He demonstrated remarkable compassion for the vulnerable, the poor and the animals that roamed the Earth. It is fitting that his feast day coincides with World Animal Day.
We have been tasked with the responsibility of protecting and nurturing this beautiful world God has entrusted to us. But we have not always been wise or kind stewards. Pets are sadly sometimes discarded like toys and abandoned on the streets. Animals are hunted as trophies. Humans can treat animals – and each other – with great love, but also with great cruelty.
So what can we do to help protect God’s creation? We can volunteer at our local animal shelter. We can adopt a pet. We can show loving kindness for all of God’s creation – humans and animals alike.
The therapeutic effects of animals are well documented. Some nursing homes receive visits from playful pooches or farm animals. A number of churches hold ‘blessing of the animal’ services. Household pets give much joy to children, adults and the elderly.
Animals are a reflection of God’s beauty, but they also offer companionship. How great will it be if we could also offer companionship to people who are lonely, marginalised and isolated?
Reflection: May we be inspired by the words of St Francis of Assisi – “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”
Brian Lee
FIVE LITTLE WORDS
Sometimes we are lonely. In spite of family, friends, our pets and our Church, we are lonely.
Cold winter days and nights seem to make it worse. If we are overseas for our work, we miss the greeting from someone we know. We long to turn around for home.
The other morning I woke with the feeling of loneliness. In a warm home, family close, not wanting to disturb them. How blessed I am.
I walked down the hall to my study and saw on the wall old photos of grandparents, mum and dad, brothers and a sister, no longer here.
And yet they were present. Memories so wonderful of family life flooded in, and I felt a little touch of heaven. Even in my very human loneliness, I was surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses as the Letter to the Hebrews reminds the faithful every day and generation.
What a difference that made to me. Not only the saints of the past, holy men and women in the Gospel stories, but also loved ones, so close. John Henry Newman puts it thus, “and with the morn those angel faces smile, which I have loved, long since, and lost awhile.”
Reflection: In long hand, write out carefully and prayerfully the words of the Risen Lord: I am with you always.
Bill Pugh
A PLACE IN THE CHOIR
The lyrics of a song by an unknown composer place all sorts of animals in different sections of a choir: “some sing low and some sing higher, some sing out loud on the telephone wire,” while “some just clap their hands, their paws, or anything they got, now”. The music is currently being rehearsed by the Victoria Welsh Choir.
A nonsense song it may be but what a powerful underlying message it brings. It combines the different attributes of a host of animals, from bullfrogs to hippopotamus, from honeybees to porcupines, all singing in harmony with each other. As the lyric’s say: “All God’s creatures got a place in the choir!”
In our community, with its variety of cultures, ages and interests, are we acting on an equal footing for the common good of society as well as for ourselves?
This principle was brought home to me recently when I contacted the Victorian State Library and was blessed to receive extensive information about my grandfather, Charles Edward Serpell. In the 1930s, he was President of both the Victorian and Australian Royal Institute of Architects. Such cooperation and guidance, freely given by the library staff, was very impressive and most appreciated. Some extracts could be included in a planned memoir for our grandchildren.
Reflection:
From the Gospel of John 13: 34-35 is the commandment to love one another, ourselves and our neighbours. We all have a place in a choir and in a host of community activities, in harmony with our neighbours.
Geoff Serpell
Image: Victoria Welsh Choir/Facebook
God’s love
A man lost his wife and, in an effort to heal his spirit, took his little daughter on a long sea voyage. One Sunday morning during the service on board the ship, a hymn containing these words was sung –
For the love of God is broader
Than the measures of man’s mind;
The little girl later asked her father the meaning of these words. Pointing to the far horizon, he said, “Do you see where sea and sky seem to meet?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“Well,” he responded, “God’s love goes beyond that. Do you see away up to those highest clouds?”
Again she replied, “Yes.”
“God’s love goes far beyond that,” said her father. Then, pointing down into the sea to impress upon her mind the idea of ‘depth’, he said, “and the love of God goes far deeper than that”.
“Then,” said the little girl, “we are in the middle of his love!”
Reflection:
Frederick William Faber, the author of this hymn, understood that the art of sermon illustration is at its best when its simplicity stirs the hearts of the congregation. The final verse of his hymn (AHB 72) underlines this thought:
If our love were but more simple
we should take him at his word:
And our lives would be illumined
By the goodness of our Lord.
Joan Addinsall
AN ECUMENICAL ENCOUNTER
As a young minister, you received a visit from a selection committee before your first appointment. In Presbyterian days, before ordination, you were asked questions such as, ”Do you assent to the teaching of the Westminster Confession, in the light of the Declaratory Statement?”
Instead of something hard like that, the committee asked me a vital question for a country minister. “Do you play football?” I did, but not very well. I only made the seconds.
Every Saturday we travelled a fair distance to neighbouring towns. One day we were to play a team, which included the local Catholic priest. The supporters of the teams were delighted! A denominational clash was possible. Surely a picture in the local paper?
The results are now in the archives of the particular country association. They were secondary to the anticipated clash between the two clerics. Well, only a few bumps rattled the reverend gentlemen. And the umpires kept an eye on them. No reports for the tribunal!
The two never played against each other again. The priest was moved to another diocese. Rumour had it that he kept beating the bishop at golf.
Reflection:
As Christians we are community people, witnessing and lending a hand, involved. No denominational fences matter. Jesus’ ministry was to al: priests, tax collectors, women and children. At home with fishermen and in the carpenter’s shop, and by the lake.
“I am among you as one who serves”. See Luke 22:24-27
Bill Pugh
Image: Stephen Edmonds/Flickr